This is something that has been troubling me my whole life. I know, I’m a bit old to not have it sorted out yet. Ah, well.

I’ve come across this neat little scheme a while ago. It struck an instant chord.

In my profile it says that I’m “living in order to learn to earn”. I realise what a luxury this is, most people are pushed into a direction, not necessarily ideal, by circumstances, early in life. But each day I am closer to the centre. Ikigai! Sounds like a war cry.

Let’s see what all I have tried so far:

Natural habitat and pose.

Yes, I excel at this too.

Smoke and coffee (even without a boat)? Tried it. Liked it for 20 years. Don’t like it any more.

Well, yes, but the system can do that alone just fine.

Well… not closing any doors.

No, no, this is mom’s thing. (She made these during her last visit out of the blue!)

It is hard for me to discuss pride, especially of having done well. I had a kind of Stendhal syndrome, or what Wiki tells me is called hyperkulturemia visiting the places below. And what I feel viewing the images I captured there is as close to pride as I’ve ever come. No matter how little I had to do with it. Other than come and click. That’s why the title of this post is Pridem. In my language it means Coming.

Frankly, there must be trees and houses everywhere I look, seeing that I’ve got this combo on most of my photos. Some of these images have been waiting for some time to be posted, and now I’ve got an excuse. Thanks, Cee.

The trees have come to mean Italia to me. The Guinigi tower in Lucca, with seven oak trees on top, was built for this challenge.

Orvieto

View from Magliano

San Galgano Abbey

San Galgano Abbey

Lucca

Lucca

Four trees in Roma:

Orange tree in Ostiense district in Roma.

Banana tree in Ostiense train station, Roma.

A Roma pine and ruins.

Stylish Monteverde district, Roma

An Italian and a Croatian church:

San Martino sul Fiora, Italia

Grožnjan, Croatia

A few views from Slovenia – Ljubljana, Maribor with the oldest vine in the world, and Piran:

Ljubljanica river, Ljubljana

Drava river, Maribor

Oldest vine in the world, Maribor

Piran neighbours

To finish, trees around the corner with the oleander to point the way home.

Since I’m closing in on the photo upload limit, I thought to go through my media gallery in order to select a few photos of some of my favourite man-made things from my earlier posts (i.e. from when I barely had an unrelated follower). It makes me happy to look at them again – and this is basically why I do what I do.

If you wish to know more about these photographs, you will have to look back (hihi).

I can see a few patterns: shooting things up on the trees (why?), food (well…), puurty colours, intricate shapes.

Today celebrates my sister who might be waiting for a station just like some people wait for trains. What is it going to be? I invite you to open up your eyes and see the sign, chosen from the ones below. ¿Qué pasa por la calle?

Ostia

Near Cala Violina, Tuscany

Piran

Piran

Piran

Piran

Piran

Grosseto

Grosseto

Sovana

Ostia

Orvieto. Photo: You!

Orbetello. Photo: You again

Scarlino. This and other photos: MM

Tanti auguri and I wish you much esperanza of the kind that never dies.

Ever since we realised that our guests can get off the train here instead of continuing to Roma, save some time and win a lovely ride to our home, Orvieto in Umbria has been visited quite often (check out the Orvieto tag for more posts from here). But no matter how many photos I take there, I always feel that the best are yet to come. And to me this is a very good definition of the muse whispering. Here’s to many visitors and many returns.

Fred, you throw pieces of bread
On top of my head
Nate, you’re pulling my braid
When the table is laid
Boon, you hide my cartoon
And blow my balloon
Zak, you push me in the back
When we play in the shack
Sly, you make me cry
When you steal my pie
Just Clyde is so very polite
He gives me chocolate, I bite.

And this is what I could add (hippies, like partisans, will NEVER die out, no matter how others count on old age to do them in):

Maybe it will all really be okay, mom. Imagine that! I’m happy that you like what I did to your poem. Wishing you a happy heart (and many more heart-shaped stones that you collect and can be seen on the top photo), a peaceful soul and calm sea. Happy birthday!

One of these days is the birthday of a great animal lover and a good friend who faces a change of pace and life. That’s why I’m sending little and not so little helpers to your aid. I hope you return one day to observe them in their natural habitat.

The first one is a mystery that will be disclosed in the end:

To stick with mammals, we’ve got a peculiarity, the Tuscan Tree Cat:

And here is something in between, a nutria, and the orange teeth are the real deal:

Here are a couple of couples, a mom and a daughter and my mom with a friend:

And here we can see who the model was for this Orvieto shop owner:

Here are the flamingos for which Orbetello lagoon is famous but we have not yet seen them closer than this:

Here is an encounter with a duck:

And here are some more flyers resting:

To conclude: your favourites.

And for the very end, your friend, happy to discover this beautiful river. (And yes, it is his tail higher up in the grass!)

This year my birthday was again spent in the company of my parents, amore and dog, which is all one wishes to hope for (since my sister is absolutely too far). Forty-five easy pieces. It was yesterday, and one glorious day it was.

New green pillow

New green stompers

New carnation design: cranberry chocolate from Slovenia

New pretty bowl

New recipe: peppers stuffed with tuna!

New surprise

We went to San Quirico d’Orcia to observe the Mille Miglia oldies race. Stay tuned for many more photos from here.

“I used to have her,” he said.

Paparazzo

Val d’Orcia

I was having fun taking photos. This is much easier to do when you are surrounded by what I have been.

Orvieto

Bagno Vignoni

Orbetello lagoon

The perfect day was concluded at I Pescatori at the Orbetello lagoon in merry company. Cin cin and thank you, everybody!

And when we exited, we were reminded that the world is indeed one. Photo: MM & BM (pillow, peppers, poppy, paparazzo)

Orvieto, soon again. This photo reminds me of postcards I used to play with. Photo: MM

My name is Lucca and I was born intricate.

It had been a cloudy, rainy day earlier when we strolled around Pisa. But now we were here and above something started to move. First there was the side view of the cathedral. Yes, lovely, but I’ve seen Orvieto already. Also, I wish to point out that I was born and raised in socialist Yugoslavia so I look at churches purely for the wow-effect of their architecture.

“Wait until you see it from the front,” you said. The left top side seemed especially unusual so I took a close-up. Are these stairs?

It was still clouded over as we were slowly walking to the front. And then the sun was starting to win. This view greeted us on the corner.

And then it slowly became apparent what you meant.

With the sun lightening it just right, every step was a revelation.

Another close-up.

And the final view in all its glory. Thank you, Lucca and the sun, we shall return.

Photo: MM

This concludes my Lucca triptych, which started with 4 windows and 4 doors and continued with the sun going down. There is still the tower with the 7 oaks (top photo) but I shall leave it for another time. Some places you just can’t leave behind.